Hitachi SimpleTech [re]Drive Review

Included on the [re]drive are software options you can install which allow for local and online backups. This is always a nice to have, especially when you consider many drives don’t offer this, forcing you to hunt down your own backup software options. For test purposes, we ran a full one time backup of media files, around 3.6 GB worth, to the [re]drive. It took around four minutes to complete this backup, which is certainly a respectable amount of time. Incremental backups are also available. As for the online option, which was not tested, you can assume it will take longer to backup to, depending upon your available Internet connection speeds. Also, only 2 GB is available for free backups – beyond that you have to pay.

Another nice touch as a feature of the [re]drive is auto-sensing when the connected computer is on or off. The drive matches that power state itself, helping you to save on energy when you leave your office or desk to go do something else.

image via Hitachi

The Final Green Word:

The SimpleTech [re]drive from Hitachi is a wonderful example of an external hard drive which has been put through the green filter. The creative uses of sustainable and recycled materials in the body design, the energy efficiency of the drive itself and the ease of use of installation and data backups make it a device definitely worth considering for all of those green desk jockeys out there.

The only real two minor issues with the [re]drive are the packaging and use of an AC adapter when USB power is an available option. Attention to these two items by Hitachi in future releases of this product could truly turn the [re]drive into one of, if not the most, earth-friendly external hard drives on the market today.

Where to Purchase:

HItachi/SimpleTech has a nice array of vendors which may carry the [re]drive.